30% Club Launches in the United States

Organization to Focus on Achieving Better Gender Balance at U.S.
Companies

Bloomberg L.P. Chairman Peter Grauer to Serve as Founding U.S. Chair

April 29, 2014 10:39 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 30% Club, a group of Chairs and CEOs committed to better gender
balance at all levels of their organizations through voluntary actions,
announced its official launch in the United States today. Peter Grauer,
Chairman of Bloomberg L.P., will serve as founding U.S. Chair. The
organization launches with 24 Founding Supporters.

The 30% Club will focus on improving representation of women at all
levels of U.S. organizations, with a near-term focus on female
representation in senior leadership. The Club first launched in the U.K.
in 2010 with an aspirational goal of 30% women on FTSE-100 boards by the
end of 2015. There are now 92 members of the 30% Club in the UK and the
FTSE-100 has moved from 12.5% women directors in 2010 to 20.8% as of
March 2014, with the 30% Club as a driving force behind the change. Club
Supporters in the UK have focused on creating better gender balance by
targeting talent management practices, executive search firms,
shareholders, schools and universities and others.

“Gender imbalance at senior levels is a global phenomenon, and so I’m
thrilled to launch in the U.S. There is no better time to focus on
developing a pipeline of female talent in U.S. organizations,” said
Helena Morrissey, CEO of Newton Capital Management and Founder of the
30% Club. “There are many excellent company efforts and networking
groups addressing this issue, but we still need to do more to elevate
the visible commitment of senior business leaders, who are mostly men.
With Peter and our Founding Supporters, we have a fantastic group of
senior U.S. leaders committed to real change in gender diversity.”

“This is a business issue as much as it is a diversity issue,” said
Grauer. “Businesses do better when they avoid ‘group think’, and better
gender balance is a key factor in business success. That said, we have a
lot more work to do in the U.S. to improve female representation, and
senior business leaders have to drive that change. I’m looking forward
to working with Helena and our great group of Founding Supporters to
achieve a better gender balance in the workplace.”

The U.S. Founding Supporters include:

Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.

Wayne Berson, CEO, BDO USA & Global Chairman, BDO

Warren Buffett, Chairman & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

Dominic Casserley, CEO, Willis Group Holdings

William S. Demchak, Chairman, President & CEO, The PNC Financial
Services Group